Den här översättningen är inte klar ännu. Den här sidan är just nu på engelska.

Gå till den engelska sidan

Antidepressant drug could ease long COVID brain fog and fatigue

NCT ID NCT05874037

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This completed trial tested whether fluvoxamine, an FDA-approved drug for OCD, can improve long COVID symptoms like trouble concentrating, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. 191 adults from Missouri and Illinois who had COVID at least 3 months earlier took either fluvoxamine or a placebo. Participants rated their symptoms daily to see if the drug helped reduce their severity.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Fluvoxamine
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a treatment for long COVID symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, and trouble concentrating.
What could go wrong
This is a small, completed trial with 191 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Fluvoxamine is an antidepressant, and its benefits for long COVID are not proven yet.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2/3

Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.

Participants

191 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2023

Finished

Mar 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

25 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Men and woman age 25 and older; 2. Not currently hospitalized 3. Participant self-report of past acute COVID episode with symptom onset and/or initial positive test at least 3 months since initial COVID symptoms and/or test confirming SARS-CoV-2 infection Note: Since some people with long COVID may not have been able to obtain testing during the acute phase of illness, history of a positive COVID-19 test is not required. We will collect data regarding the results of any past COVID-19 testing, but this will not affect eligibility for the trial. 4. Currently symptomatic with self-reported worsening of cognitive function for at least the past 2 months, that could not be better explained by other reasons (i.e. alternative diagnosis or medication changes). 5. Able to provide informed consent. 6. Currently reside in Missouri or Illinois Exclusion Criteria: 1. Illness severe enough to require hospitalization at the time of starting the study. 2. Unstable medical comorbidities (eg decompensated cirrhosis), per patient report and/or medical records. 3. Immunocompromised from the following: solid organ transplant, BMT, high dose steroids (\>20mg prednisone per day), or tocilizumab 4. Already enrolled in another COVID 19 medication trial (not including vaccination or prophylaxis trials) 5. Unable to provide informed consent 6. Unable to perform the study procedures, including not being a resident of the states of Missouri or Illinois 7. Taking donepezil (rationale: donepezil is a S1R agonist), or sertraline (rationale: sertraline is a strong sigma-1 antagonist). 8. Taking phenytoin (rationale: fluvoxamine inhibits its metabolism), clopidogrel (rationale: fluvoxamine inhibits its metabolism from pro-drug to active drug which raises risk of cardiovascular events), and St John's wort (rationale: fluvoxamine + St John's wort are considered contraindicated because of the risk of serotonin syndrome) 9. Taking SSRIs or SNRIs. 10. Individuals who report they have bipolar disorder or are taking medication for bipolar disorder (lithium, valproate, high-dose antipsychotic), unless the investigator concludes that the risk for mania is unlikely (ie it is doubtful that the patient actually has bipolar disorder). 11. Individuals who take alprazolam or diazepam and are unwilling to cut the medication by 25% (rationale: fluvoxamine modestly inhibits the metabolism of these drugs). 12. Participants taking theophylline, tizanidine, clozapine, or olanzapine (drugs with a narrow therapeutic index that are primarily metabolized by CYP 1A2, which is inhibited by fluvoxamine) will be reviewed with a study investigator and excluded unless the investigator concludes that the risk to the participant is low (this would be unlikely; example: participant takes tizanidine only as needed and is willing to avoid it during study duration).

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Long COVID are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Washington University School of Medicine

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.